How can we offer content anytime, anywhe

Consumers want to access the content distributed by their cable operator on multiple devices at any time and regardless of their location. They expect TV channels and other content such as Video on Demand services to be “portable” in and outside the home, throughout Europe and beyond. Cable operators have launched new services to meet this demand, enabling cable subscribers to watch their content on computers, tablets or smart phones.

However, it is difficult to obtain the necessary rights to fulfil this consumer demand. In particular, cable operators are facing significant barriers in obtaining the “out-of-home” rights needed to enable portability of content, be it in the country of origin or abroad. These difficulties range from refusals to grant the necessary rights through to abuses of dominant positions of collective management organisations (CMOs). This is in addition to the burden created by the fragmentation of rights across national boundaries and onerous requests for remuneration for each additional type of device or location.

Amendments to the current legal framework are needed to address these issues in order to promote an innovative and efficient market for content services within and across national borders.